Revisited: Is This It (The Strokes)
13 years ago, after being fed on a diet of The Velvet Underground, Jane's Addiction and Bob Marley, The Strokes had caught the eye of talent booker for New York venue The Mercury Lounge Ryan Gentles. He scheduled the band for four gigs in December 2000 and by January 2001 British label Rough Trade caught wind and signed them. And after releasing 'The Modern Age' EP they embarked on a sold-out tour of the UK.
Legend has it, that Julian Casablancas wrote the whole album himself, and if you read interviews with the front-man, you will find that this may be true. In itself, that is an incredible feat. It also brings up the desire or even willingness of the other band members. Is This It sounds well structured which is a credit to the other band members, but they were under instruction by Casablancas to play this part here and this part there. Whether this be true or not, Casablancas's creative mind certainly put the album on the map.
The melodic, garage-rock sound immediately leaps out at you. It's clear that The Strokes had taken influence from certain New York bands of bygone eras. Bands like Television and The Talking Heads. But the main comparison that always arises not only from the press but the band themselves is The Velvet Underground. Lou Reed and Co. are definitely hidden in Is This It especially in the beginning of track 'The Modern Age' the unusual strumming pattern and rudimentary drum beats point to The Velvet Underground, but once the song hits full speed, it moves away from this influence. The main comparison is the vocal delivery and lyrical style of Julian Casablancas. The way he can tell a story within a song is unique. He sings about the big-city life and failed relationships, each song feels like it has its own mood, 'Someday' sounds very upbeat and then Casablancas comes in with a lazy vocal delivery (which fits his demeanour perfectly) that sounds very grainy, but with the melody created by the band members it fits his vocal style perfectly.
The melodic, garage-rock sound immediately leaps out at you. It's clear that The Strokes had taken influence from certain New York bands of bygone eras. Bands like Television and The Talking Heads. But the main comparison that always arises not only from the press but the band themselves is The Velvet Underground. Lou Reed and Co. are definitely hidden in Is This It especially in the beginning of track 'The Modern Age' the unusual strumming pattern and rudimentary drum beats point to The Velvet Underground, but once the song hits full speed, it moves away from this influence. The main comparison is the vocal delivery and lyrical style of Julian Casablancas. The way he can tell a story within a song is unique. He sings about the big-city life and failed relationships, each song feels like it has its own mood, 'Someday' sounds very upbeat and then Casablancas comes in with a lazy vocal delivery (which fits his demeanour perfectly) that sounds very grainy, but with the melody created by the band members it fits his vocal style perfectly.
Towards the tail end of the album, there is a sense of change as the tracks rally gather speed. 'Hard To Explain' incorporates all the garage-rock elements and puts them on a new level. Opening with a lo-fi drum beat the sing bursts into life. The guitars sound raspy as they fight together to leap out of the song. While this battle takes place, Casablancas lays on a vocal that oozes class. Lyrically, it could be about the fact that Casablancas doesn't (didn't back then) fit in with the rock star image. He has always come across as aloof. "I am too young and they're too old" references the older generation and how they don't understand him and his ideas. It's also about relationships. Casablancas's comes across as forgetful and dishonest finding it "Hard to Explain" some of the things that have happened.
Is This It is a very rich album in terms of content. Lyrically, the stories told are vivid and musically there is so much texture added thanks to the combined efforts of Albert Hammond JR and Nick Valensi. At times it can sound a bit repetitive, but there's much more to it if you look beyond this.
8.5/10
Is This It is a very rich album in terms of content. Lyrically, the stories told are vivid and musically there is so much texture added thanks to the combined efforts of Albert Hammond JR and Nick Valensi. At times it can sound a bit repetitive, but there's much more to it if you look beyond this.
8.5/10
 13 years ago, after being fed on a diet of The Velvet Underground , Jane's Addiction and Bo...){kind=link}
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